1) The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold APPROVED
2) How to Read Literature Like a Professor - Thomas C. Foster
3) The Tales of Edgar Allan Poe
Essay #1 Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It’s not)
There are always a reason for the actions that we do, and sometimes that reason doesn’t have to be real, it can just be a wish, or hope. In the book The Lovely Bones, written by Alice Sebold, Susie Salmon, a murdered and raped victim, watches her family from heaven and observes their grief and tragedy the family goes through after her death. Susie continues to overlook her family even though she completely comprehends that there is nothing she can do for her family. All Susie can do, is to wish that her family would break out of the despair they are experiencing, and be able to continue their life. At the same time, she desperately tries to let her family know that she is watching them from heaven. “Had my brother really seen me somehow, or he was he merely a little boy telling beautiful lies?” (Sebold, 95) Even though Susie knows for sure that her brother couldn’t have seen her, she is still questioning herself because she has hope that her brother would acknowledge the presence of Susie.
Susie can’t help her family, nor take any actions to comfort them. Yet she continues to observe the people around her because she has hope that someday her family would know how she feels, she wishes truthfully that her parents and the people around her would be no longer affected by the death of Susie. Even though she knows that her watching over them wouldn’t do any good, yet she holds on to her hope and wishes and continues her “quest.” Like this, a quest doesn’t have to be an action in order to accomplish a goal or a result, but can be just what one truly wants, and the attempt to attain one’s dream. In this definition, Susie’s journey to let her family know about her presence is totally a quest.
Comment
Author: Jenny Lee
Hey Jenny! I went around the other classes to see which one I should look at and I happened to find yours! :) I’m going to use the six-trait rubric to grade this essay, so bear with me the pain of having to look at the six-trait rubric again. (The six-traits are ideas, convention, sentence fluency, word choice, organization, and voice) I liked the idea, of explaining not only one section of the book but a general overview of the story. According to the How to read Literature like a Professor, I believe that a quest, according to Foster, requires a quester, place to go, a stated reason to go, challenges and trials, and the real reason to go. Because I also read Lovely Bones, I could point out the quester, a place to go and so on, but for new readers, it may seem confusing to point out the points that Foster explained. With the convention, I think it is fine. Sentence Fluency on the first paragraph, where it explains the general plot of the story, seems to be rushed (hope you know what I mean). Word choice was fine; no words were misused or unnecessarily showy. However the organization of the essay could use some work! Separated intro paragraph, body, and conclusion would’ve made the essay look more refined. With voice of this essay was nice. The essay sounded like a very solid-opinioned essay. Overall, good job!
-Kevin J. Lee
Comment:
Jenny! How was your summer so far!! (: Anyways, I'm going to start my comment now. I liked your essay in a way that it had just about enough information for readers like me, who do not know anything about the novel you chose. I am glad that you did not use adjectives too much. Honestly, I did not really get the "quest" section from the book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, but after reading your essay, I fully get it! I think the essay is well organized, but I think it could have been a little bit longer. However, I'm sure the essay meets its requirements! Good job!
- Leah
Essay #2 Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires
Vampires, as mentioned in How to Read Literature Like a Professor, doesn’t have to be real vampires. They can be just characters that portray the characteristics of a vampire. In the book of The Lovely Bones, written by Alice Sebold, Mr. Harvey, who is a primary suspect for the murder and rape of Susie Salmon, and actually is a suspect of that case, can be viewed as a character that portrays the personalities of a vampire.
Mr.Harvey, who seems like the one who cares about the children and women, actually has another side in him, which portrays a desire to kill them. He doesn’t regret any of the murders that he committed, and even keeps each victim’s personal item as a trophy to remember. He has committed a murder and rape so many times in his life, now that he doesn’t remember most of them clearly. “He wore his innocence like a comfortable old coat.” (Sebold, 26) This is a quote said by Susie Salmon, the latest victim of Mr. Harvey; about the way she views Harvey from heaven. She thinks that he even believes himself that he is innocent because he has gotten away with the crimes that he committees so many times. Mr. Harvey represents “an older figure representing corrupt, outworn values”(Foster, 19) when Susie can be described as “ a young, preferably, virginal female.” (Foster, 19) One value that makes Mr. Harvey more like a human than a vampire is the fact that he shows a sense of remorse, in a way that it keeps reappearing in his dream. There is a scene where Harvey witnesses Lindsay, who broke into the house of Harvey in order to find evidence of her sister’s murder. Lindsay even continuously appears in his dreams. This might be a sign of showing the remorse and regret of Harvey of murdering Lindsay’s sister, or a form of nervousness that he will be caught. Either way, concerning that he is so stressed about the murder of Susie, his reaction is a signature of conveying the guilt that he has deep inside his mind, which most vampires don’t have. Harvey may stop on his way of being a vampire.
Essay #3 …More Than It’s Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence
Violence is always the “big theme” of a genre of mystery, or a horror story. However, it can also be a “big theme” in a book that makes one understands the true love of a family, which would be classified under the category of a romance. The Lovely Bones, written by Alice Sebold, portrays a complex emotional struggle between families, and among ones that love after a death of a loved one. Violence is portrayed only as a tool in order to start the struggle between people. “These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections - sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent - that happened after I was gone. And I began to see things in a way that let me hold the world without me in it.” (Sebold, 320) This quote, mentioned by the main character that experienced the violence oneself, and is currently in heaven, reviews the character’s observance over the world without her. Like this, even though she went through the “violence,” and the whole story starts out because of the violence, the violence actually makes the story in this case.
Violence isn’t actually a symbol in this story, nor an intention to “visit on one another or one themselves.” (Foster, 89) Yet it marks the beginning of everything. Consider this. Without the death of Susie Salmon, the story of The Lovely Bones would never have even existed, because there would be no struggle to portray. Violence not only leads to the stress of the family, but also the affection of Ray and Ruth, the guilt of Harvey, the determination of Lindsay, and the isolation of Buckley. Maybe violence is a start, or the beginning in this story. Violence, always mean a different theme in each book, nevertheless it’s meaning is always an important one.
Comment:
Jenny, I also read The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, and initially I didn't accept the view of violence in the novel presented here, but it seems that you have found a quote that explains the essence of this book that I have failed to find. I have found your premise to be interesting, "without the death of Susie Salmon, the story of The Lovely Bones would never have even existed, because there would be no struggle to portray." This is actually a very interesting way to look at it, but maybe a different chain of events would have happened, altering the very tone of this book, wouldn't you say? In a strange way, I am glad that Susie was killed, since a very beautiful story followed. Kevin is right, you could do a bit more with word choice and organization, and it seems strange that all these paragraphs are in different sizes and font
Jason
Essay #4
Is That a Symbol?
According to the comment from How to Read Literature Like a Professor, it says “…symbolizes will be determined to a large extent by how the individual reader engages the text,” (Foster, 103) and by my interpretation of this quotation, I believe that the symbol of a certain item or an action can be differently analyzed according to the reader’s personal experiences and prejudices. It is easier and more facile to connect with the book and the author by applying it into the personal life. In the book The Lovely Bones,written by Alice Sebold, it seems like the biggest symbol that the author intended to portray is the despair and hardships that the closest ones go through after the death of the loved one. Even though I also cherish the intention of the author and the method she used to portray the symbol, I personally interpreted myself according to my experience. It truly becomes a symbol, maybe a different one, but the true one, when the reader understands the undermined reason and meaning of an action.
“Murder had a blood red door on the other side of which was everything unimaginable to everyone.” (Sebold, 206) This is a quotation said by one of the family members of Susie Salmon recalling the death of Susie. To me, that quotation became one of the most important and assuring quote to elucidate the symbol. As a reader with the experience of losing a loved one, it was easier to build a connection with the symbol, which made it more facile to understand the plot itself.
It is also possible for a book to have more than one symbol, because it seems that this book also portrays another symbol, a process of the people to overcome the struggle. “Last night it had been my father who had finally said it, ‘She’s never coming home.’ A clear and easy piece of truth that everyone who had ever known me had accepted.”(Sebold, 289) This book shows the journey from the occurrence of the accident, and the process, and the result of overcoming the hardships. Even though the book never said they were the “symbols,” but it is evident through the text, and more apparently, it was observed through my interpretations. Maybe these are not the true symbols, but at least I think so.
Essay #5 …So Does Season
In a book, dramatic incidents always happen, whether it is the main plot of the story, or not, and in order to dramatize the impact of the incident, the author usually uses literary devices or certain phrases. In the book of The Lovely Bones, Written by Alice Sebold,the author also uses theses devices as a tool.
To start with the importance of the usage of literary devices, I would like to focus on the settings first. In the story, the main character, Susie Salmon, was murdered and raped by Mr. Harvey in the underground bunker in the cornfield. As a reader, one might question how big of an impact can the settings have, but it is very important. The setting and situation that it was near her house, and the action was done by someone that Susie’s parents knew, it was more shocking than just a mediocre situation where one is raped by a stranger. Like this, the small details impact a lot. Now let’s actually talk about the season. “But on December 6, 1973, it was snowing, and I took a shortcut…” (Sebold, 6) This is the description given by Susie, to explain the setting of the day when she was murdered. It is evident that Susie mentions the fact that it was snowing. Now, what would be the intentions of mentioning the fact that it is snowing, when it doesn’t have much impact on the plot itself? This is because the author wants this scene to be dramatized to a point where the readers get the feeling that they are experiencing this horrid scene themselves. “…winter with old age and resentment and death.” (Foster, 178) The author of How to Read Literature Like a Professor clearly explains that winter generally symbolizes death. Alice Sebold, the author of The Lovely Bones, starts out the story with the death of Susie Salmon, so it is reasonable that she would have wanted to exaggerate the impact the scene where Susie dies, because it marks the start of the story.
Even though the readers might never pay attention to the little details, whether the season was mentioned or not, but truthfully it really does have an impact, while reading the book.
Comment #1
Hey, Rachel! I miss you so much, oh well... we'll meet soon :) Anyways, first of all, I loved reading your essay! I thought your introduction was very catchy, and..full of long words (: haha just joking.. It captured my attention from the beginning, and thats what introductions are for! The second paragraph is decent, despite the fact that I never read this book in my life, it was still easy to understand the main idea that you tried to portray. You described your idea very well, and connected it to the "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" very well. One concern that I have is that the conclusion is not strongly wrapping the ideas enough, so even though the main idea of the essay is wonderful, the conclusion is yet too week to summarize the whole. Still, I loved the way you wrote this essay, and I'm looking forward to read more of this. Once again, good work. See you on tuesday!!
Rachel Choi Essay #1
Comment #2
Jiyoon! How was your summer~? I still can't believe that we never met this summer.. I miss you sooo much :( Sooo, I'm here to write a COMMENT about your essay! So excited to finally criticize you :D hahaha joking... anywayss here I go! I totally agree with the fact that I am able to guess how the story would go like, and the fact that there would be MANY trips happening in this book. I think you did a good job of explaining how the character ( Sal, is it?) felt and went through so that even the person who didn't read the book would understand. The usage of the quotes were great, I felt like it was the "point" that can work as an evidencc to connect the book with the "How to Read Literature Like a Professor." But I think it could have been better if you used more of your words to make sure that the connection between two quotes were lucid, because as a reader who didn't read the book ( sorry!), it is pretty hard to understand. Yet, I love the way you ended your essay. I think you used your two sentences very well to finish & explain your idea. So...in conclusion....this is tremendous and I love you :) hahaha, that sounds wrong.... anyways.. see you on the first day of school :D
Jiyoon Hyun #2
SUMMER ASSGINMENTS 09
1) The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold APPROVED
2) How to Read Literature Like a Professor - Thomas C. Foster
3) The Tales of Edgar Allan Poe
Essay #1
Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It’s not)
There are always a reason for the actions that we do, and sometimes that reason doesn’t have to be real, it can just be a wish, or hope. In the book The Lovely Bones, written by Alice Sebold, Susie Salmon, a murdered and raped victim, watches her family from heaven and observes their grief and tragedy the family goes through after her death. Susie continues to overlook her family even though she completely comprehends that there is nothing she can do for her family. All Susie can do, is to wish that her family would break out of the despair they are experiencing, and be able to continue their life. At the same time, she desperately tries to let her family know that she is watching them from heaven. “Had my brother really seen me somehow, or he was he merely a little boy telling beautiful lies?” (Sebold, 95) Even though Susie knows for sure that her brother couldn’t have seen her, she is still questioning herself because she has hope that her brother would acknowledge the presence of Susie.
Susie can’t help her family, nor take any actions to comfort them. Yet she continues to observe the people around her because she has hope that someday her family would know how she feels, she wishes truthfully that her parents and the people around her would be no longer affected by the death of Susie. Even though she knows that her watching over them wouldn’t do any good, yet she holds on to her hope and wishes and continues her “quest.” Like this, a quest doesn’t have to be an action in order to accomplish a goal or a result, but can be just what one truly wants, and the attempt to attain one’s dream. In this definition, Susie’s journey to let her family know about her presence is totally a quest.
Comment
Author: Jenny Lee
Hey Jenny! I went around the other classes to see which one I should look at and I happened to find yours! :) I’m going to use the six-trait rubric to grade this essay, so bear with me the pain of having to look at the six-trait rubric again. (The six-traits are ideas, convention, sentence fluency, word choice, organization, and voice) I liked the idea, of explaining not only one section of the book but a general overview of the story. According to the How to read Literature like a Professor, I believe that a quest, according to Foster, requires a quester, place to go, a stated reason to go, challenges and trials, and the real reason to go. Because I also read Lovely Bones, I could point out the quester, a place to go and so on, but for new readers, it may seem confusing to point out the points that Foster explained. With the convention, I think it is fine. Sentence Fluency on the first paragraph, where it explains the general plot of the story, seems to be rushed (hope you know what I mean). Word choice was fine; no words were misused or unnecessarily showy. However the organization of the essay could use some work! Separated intro paragraph, body, and conclusion would’ve made the essay look more refined. With voice of this essay was nice. The essay sounded like a very solid-opinioned essay. Overall, good job!
-Kevin J. Lee
Comment:
Jenny! How was your summer so far!! (: Anyways, I'm going to start my comment now. I liked your essay in a way that it had just about enough information for readers like me, who do not know anything about the novel you chose. I am glad that you did not use adjectives too much. Honestly, I did not really get the "quest" section from the book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, but after reading your essay, I fully get it! I think the essay is well organized, but I think it could have been a little bit longer. However, I'm sure the essay meets its requirements! Good job!
- Leah
Essay #2
Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires
Vampires, as mentioned in How to Read Literature Like a Professor, doesn’t have to be real vampires. They can be just characters that portray the characteristics of a vampire. In the book of The Lovely Bones, written by Alice Sebold, Mr. Harvey, who is a primary suspect for the murder and rape of Susie Salmon, and actually is a suspect of that case, can be viewed as a character that portrays the personalities of a vampire.
Mr.Harvey, who seems like the one who cares about the children and women, actually has another side in him, which portrays a desire to kill them. He doesn’t regret any of the murders that he committed, and even keeps each victim’s personal item as a trophy to remember. He has committed a murder and rape so many times in his life, now that he doesn’t remember most of them clearly. “He wore his innocence like a comfortable old coat.” (Sebold, 26) This is a quote said by Susie Salmon, the latest victim of Mr. Harvey; about the way she views Harvey from heaven. She thinks that he even believes himself that he is innocent because he has gotten away with the crimes that he committees so many times. Mr. Harvey represents “an older figure representing corrupt, outworn values”(Foster, 19) when Susie can be described as “ a young, preferably, virginal female.” (Foster, 19)
One value that makes Mr. Harvey more like a human than a vampire is the fact that he shows a sense of remorse, in a way that it keeps reappearing in his dream. There is a scene where Harvey witnesses Lindsay, who broke into the house of Harvey in order to find evidence of her sister’s murder. Lindsay even continuously appears in his dreams. This might be a sign of showing the remorse and regret of Harvey of murdering Lindsay’s sister, or a form of nervousness that he will be caught. Either way, concerning that he is so stressed about the murder of Susie, his reaction is a signature of conveying the guilt that he has deep inside his mind, which most vampires don’t have. Harvey may stop on his way of being a vampire.
Essay #3
…More Than It’s Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence
Violence is always the “big theme” of a genre of mystery, or a horror story. However, it can also be a “big theme” in a book that makes one understands the true love of a family, which would be classified under the category of a romance. The Lovely Bones, written by Alice Sebold, portrays a complex emotional struggle between families, and among ones that love after a death of a loved one. Violence is portrayed only as a tool in order to start the struggle between people.
“These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections - sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent - that happened after I was gone. And I began to see things in a way that let me hold the world without me in it.” (Sebold, 320) This quote, mentioned by the main character that experienced the violence oneself, and is currently in heaven, reviews the character’s observance over the world without her. Like this, even though she went through the “violence,” and the whole story starts out because of the violence, the violence actually makes the story in this case.
Violence isn’t actually a symbol in this story, nor an intention to “visit on one another or one themselves.” (Foster, 89) Yet it marks the beginning of everything. Consider this. Without the death of Susie Salmon, the story of The Lovely Bones would never have even existed, because there would be no struggle to portray. Violence not only leads to the stress of the family, but also the affection of Ray and Ruth, the guilt of Harvey, the determination of Lindsay, and the isolation of Buckley. Maybe violence is a start, or the beginning in this story. Violence, always mean a different theme in each book, nevertheless it’s meaning is always an important one.
Comment:
Jenny, I also read The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, and initially I didn't accept the view of violence in the novel presented here, but it seems that you have found a quote that explains the essence of this book that I have failed to find. I have found your premise to be interesting, "without the death of Susie Salmon, the story of The Lovely Bones would never have even existed, because there would be no struggle to portray." This is actually a very interesting way to look at it, but maybe a different chain of events would have happened, altering the very tone of this book, wouldn't you say? In a strange way, I am glad that Susie was killed, since a very beautiful story followed. Kevin is right, you could do a bit more with word choice and organization, and it seems strange that all these paragraphs are in different sizes and font
Jason
Essay #4
Is That a Symbol?
According to the comment from How to Read Literature Like a Professor, it says “…symbolizes will be determined to a large extent by how the individual reader engages the text,” (Foster, 103) and by my interpretation of this quotation, I believe that the symbol of a certain item or an action can be differently analyzed according to the reader’s personal experiences and prejudices. It is easier and more facile to connect with the book and the author by applying it into the personal life. In the book The Lovely Bones,written by Alice Sebold, it seems like the biggest symbol that the author intended to portray is the despair and hardships that the closest ones go through after the death of the loved one. Even though I also cherish the intention of the author and the method she used to portray the symbol, I personally interpreted myself according to my experience. It truly becomes a symbol, maybe a different one, but the true one, when the reader understands the undermined reason and meaning of an action.
“Murder had a blood red door on the other side of which was everything unimaginable to everyone.” (Sebold, 206) This is a quotation said by one of the family members of Susie Salmon recalling the death of Susie. To me, that quotation became one of the most important and assuring quote to elucidate the symbol. As a reader with the experience of losing a loved one, it was easier to build a connection with the symbol, which made it more facile to understand the plot itself.
It is also possible for a book to have more than one symbol, because it seems that this book also portrays another symbol, a process of the people to overcome the struggle. “Last night it had been my father who had finally said it, ‘She’s never coming home.’ A clear and easy piece of truth that everyone who had ever known me had accepted.”(Sebold, 289) This book shows the journey from the occurrence of the accident, and the process, and the result of overcoming the hardships. Even though the book never said they were the “symbols,” but it is evident through the text, and more apparently, it was observed through my interpretations. Maybe these are not the true symbols, but at least I think so.
Essay #5
…So Does Season
In a book, dramatic incidents always happen, whether it is the main plot of the story, or not, and in order to dramatize the impact of the incident, the author usually uses literary devices or certain phrases. In the book of The Lovely Bones, Written by Alice Sebold,the author also uses theses devices as a tool.
To start with the importance of the usage of literary devices, I would like to focus on the settings first. In the story, the main character, Susie Salmon, was murdered and raped by Mr. Harvey in the underground bunker in the cornfield. As a reader, one might question how big of an impact can the settings have, but it is very important. The setting and situation that it was near her house, and the action was done by someone that Susie’s parents knew, it was more shocking than just a mediocre situation where one is raped by a stranger. Like this, the small details impact a lot. Now let’s actually talk about the season. “But on December 6, 1973, it was snowing, and I took a shortcut…” (Sebold, 6) This is the description given by Susie, to explain the setting of the day when she was murdered. It is evident that Susie mentions the fact that it was snowing. Now, what would be the intentions of mentioning the fact that it is snowing, when it doesn’t have much impact on the plot itself? This is because the author wants this scene to be dramatized to a point where the readers get the feeling that they are experiencing this horrid scene themselves. “…winter with old age and resentment and death.” (Foster, 178) The author of How to Read Literature Like a Professor clearly explains that winter generally symbolizes death. Alice Sebold, the author of The Lovely Bones, starts out the story with the death of Susie Salmon, so it is reasonable that she would have wanted to exaggerate the impact the scene where Susie dies, because it marks the start of the story.
Even though the readers might never pay attention to the little details, whether the season was mentioned or not, but truthfully it really does have an impact, while reading the book.
Comment #1
Hey, Rachel! I miss you so much, oh well... we'll meet soon :) Anyways, first of all, I loved reading your essay! I thought your introduction was very catchy, and..full of long words (: haha just joking.. It captured my attention from the beginning, and thats what introductions are for! The second paragraph is decent, despite the fact that I never read this book in my life, it was still easy to understand the main idea that you tried to portray. You described your idea very well, and connected it to the "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" very well. One concern that I have is that the conclusion is not strongly wrapping the ideas enough, so even though the main idea of the essay is wonderful, the conclusion is yet too week to summarize the whole. Still, I loved the way you wrote this essay, and I'm looking forward to read more of this. Once again, good work. See you on tuesday!!
Rachel Choi Essay #1
Comment #2
Jiyoon! How was your summer~? I still can't believe that we never met this summer.. I miss you sooo much :( Sooo, I'm here to write a COMMENT about your essay! So excited to finally criticize you :D hahaha joking... anywayss here I go! I totally agree with the fact that I am able to guess how the story would go like, and the fact that there would be MANY trips happening in this book. I think you did a good job of explaining how the character ( Sal, is it?) felt and went through so that even the person who didn't read the book would understand. The usage of the quotes were great, I felt like it was the "point" that can work as an evidencc to connect the book with the "How to Read Literature Like a Professor." But I think it could have been better if you used more of your words to make sure that the connection between two quotes were lucid, because as a reader who didn't read the book ( sorry!), it is pretty hard to understand. Yet, I love the way you ended your essay. I think you used your two sentences very well to finish & explain your idea. So...in conclusion....this is tremendous and I love you :) hahaha, that sounds wrong.... anyways.. see you on the first day of school :D
Jiyoon Hyun #2